Annunciator system



May 12; 1931. K. B. ,WALTON 1,804,902

ANNUNCIATOR SYSTEM Filed May 15. 1929 2 Sheets-Shae} 1 INVEN 7'05 Zen/761% fi-nhlfam,

y 1931 K. B.- WALTON 1,804,902 I ANNUNCIfi'OR SYSTEM Fil'e'd May 15. 1929 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 w/ TNESS Patented May 12, 1931 tseasnz KENNETH B. 'W'ALTON, OF ATLANTIS CITY, NEW f ANNUNCIATOB SYSTEM Application filed May 15, 1929. Serial No. 33,332.

My invention relates particularly" to a new and useful means for transmitting sounds from any one of a plurality of points to a single receiving point and there reproducing the sounds exactly but with some amplification to permit them to be heard clearly and distinctly, and may desirably be used in restaurants, hotels and the like for the transmission of orders oi. the guests from the place where given to the point from which the orders are filled, as in the transmission of dining room 'orders'to the kitchen, though other uses and situations wherein my system may be found advantageous and de sir-able may readily be conceived.

A primar object of my invention is to save time and labor in the transmission of such messages,'and to assure speed and accu-v racy in the receipt thereof by the person to whom they are directed, and in pointing out more fully the functions, construction and methods of operation of the'invention reference will be had to certain embodiments installed and adapted for use in a large res-- r taurant or hotel dmlng room and kitchen.

It will be understood that it is customary, in many institutions'o-f the class mentioned, forthe guests to express their desires verbal 1y to the waiter or other dining room employee, who then goes to the kitchen and repeats the order to the proper kitchen em-. ployee' by whom the order is filled. lhis method has not only the disadvantage of the danger of confusion and forgetfulness in the mind of the waiter, but also results in a delay, especiallyv when the waiter on his way to the kitchen is detained by some intervening duty or other cause.

With a view to overcoming these and other disadvantages, a system has been used comprising the provisionof aboard in the diningroom having a plurality of numbered push buttons, each Wired to operate a correspondingly numbered signal such as. a light or alpointer. When this system employed,- ach order available to he guests must ha e a p ear arse numb r by whichit is known to the waiters and to the kit en empl yees, so that an order can be tr nsmit d. y means of the Wait in the kitchen touching the button the number of which corresponds to the prearranged number designating that order. Theuse of this system is accompanied by many difficulties and disadvantages, a number of whichare obvi Fm I one, such, for example, as the limitation to the number of different signals provided oi the number and variety-of possible orders available to the guests and also the inflexibility of the system which makes impossible the transmission-of details of unusual requirements, as when a guest wishes his order prepared in a particular way requiring special instructions. Briefly, my invention comprises a number of transmitting stations disposed at suit able points about the dining room, for example, where most convenient and accessible to those wishing to transmit an order to the kitchen and suitably interconnected withan amplifier unit and with a loud-speaking re producing-unit situated adjacent the kitchen or other point to which it is desired to transmit the orders, in combination with suit able visual signals the purposes of which will hereinafter appear, a push button or similar electrical contacting means beingprovided at each transmitting station where-' by, among other things,the system may be energized and put in operable condition.

More particularly,the system is so. corstr-ucted that when energizedas a result oi the push button" being depressed at one transmitting station, a visual signal is displayed at all stations to indicate that the system is in use, and to warn others against attcmpting'to transmit can order until the system is no longer being used by the first operator to whom appearance of the signal, indicates readiness of the system for reception of his order. Other visual signals are also provided at the transmitting stations, the operation of which is controlled: from adjacent the receiving point, by means of which the person receiving themessage' may acknowledge,- its receipt QI OViZiLQLWlSG, signal V the sender in accordance with a prearranged system, as, for example, to ask that the mes: sage be, repeated. Thus it will be nnde-rstood that by providing a sufiicient number of transmitting stations at convenient points, as about the dining room mentioned, it is possible for the waiter to repeat the order given by the guest within a few seconds, eliminating, to a large degree, the factor of forgetfulness and confusion in the mind of the waiter and also, due to the order being reproduced instantaneously in the kitchen, eliminating any appreciable lapse of time between the giving of the order by the guest and the commencement of the fulfilling of the order by the proper kitchen employee designated to that task. The work of the waiters is thus appreciably lessened, while, trips to the kitchen for the giving of orders are entirely elnninated and the waiters are enabled. to spend more of their time administering to the immediate desires of the guests, the service accorded the guests may be greatly improved.

My invention may also be used to great advantage in other circumstzmces where, as in the restai'lrant kitchen, it is desired to give a message to a workman without quiring that he interrupt his work in order to receive the message and without otherwise restricting his freedom to attend to his normal duties, especially when orders are to be transmitted from a number of diversified points to a single central point.

' Other purposes, objects and advantages of my invention are hereinafter more particularly mentioned or will be readily apparent from the following more particular description of certain embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying, somewhat diagrammatic. drawings, in which 1 is a diagramof the wiring of a preferred form thereof and Fig. 2 a diagram of the wiring of a somewhat modified form. F 3 is a fragmentary sectional. view in perspective of a typical restaurant or hotel dining room and kitchen, showing how my invention may be actually used therein, and Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical section of one of the transmitting units, one of which is comprised in each of the transmitting stations hereinbefore n'ientioned. Tln'oughout the several figures like characters of refer ence are used to designate the same parts.

The circuits comprisedin that form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 include the transmitting and amplifying circuit comprising an amplifying unit A of an ordinaryv type, any one of a variety of which may here be used, although I prefer, as having proved best adapted for the purpose, a unit comprising one rectifier and two amplifying vacuum electron'tubes, which when connected in the usual manner, with a suitable type of loud speakin reproducer will provide amplification su cient to prevent the sounds reproduced being drowned out or made unintelligible by incidental sounds and noises being otherwise produced nearby. The ampli fying unit A is provided with electric cur rent through the leads 1, 2 which may be connected to the ordinary commercial lighting circuit in the customary way. Connected to the amplifying unit by the leads 8, 4 is the loud speaking reproducer B which, when the system is in operation, reproduces, after amplification, the sounds received by the transmitter unit being used, electrical impulses from which reach the amplifying unit through the leads 5, 6 across which are connectedin parallel a plurality of microphones 7 each in series with a separate push button 8, energy for the microphone-amplifier circuit being supplied by a storage battery 9 or other suitable source, the solenoid 10 of a relay Pt being connected in one of the main leads of the said circuit, as shown, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The use of the push buttons 8 or other contact-making means normally in open circuit position is advantageous in that the one giving an order is required. to stand close to the transmitter to hold the circuit closed and more accurate transmission is thus assured than would be the case were it possible to give an order, for example, while walking past the transmitting station; additionally, the transmitting system is deenergized except when in actual use and electrical current is not wasted, while those near the reproducer are not continually annoyed by stray sounds received by the transmitter when the system is not in actual use for the transmission of orders. Each push button 8 is also so arranged that only such sounds as are received by the transmitter 1nicrophone of that .trans1nit"ing station the push button at which is depressed, are transmitted and reproduced by .the loud speaker, thus preventing the picking up of stray sounds by the other microphones during actual use of the system, and resulting confusion and indistinctness in the messages reproduced by the loud speaker are avoided.

It will thus be apparent that closing the switch of any of the push buttons 8 will complete a circuit through its associated microphone without, however, energizing the remaining microphones; consequently, the amplifier can receive signals from any micro phone only when the push button'switch associated with. it is closed. It will also be readily understood that the completion of thiscircuit by means of any of the push buttons will energize the solenoid 10 of the re lay R, and thereby close the relay switch 11 which, being in a circuit comprising the secondary coil 12 of a transformer T and a plurality of lights 13 connectedin parallel across the leads 1% and 15 as shown in the diagram, will, when the primary coil 16 of the transformer T is supplied with current, as from an ordinary lighting circuit 17, 18, cause the lights 13 to light and remain light- LQQQSQQQ.

ed until, when the circuit through the solenoid of the relay It is opened, the switch 11 again opens, breaking the circuit through lights 13. Asone of the lights is placed adjacent each unit comprising one microphone and the push button switch 8 in series therewith, it will be apparent that the lights serve as a signal at the transmitting units, showing by their being lighted that the transmitting circuit is closed, and by their being unlighted that the system is available for use. I use the transformer T in the lighting circuits in order to save power consumption and permit the use of low voltage wiring and lights, deriving power nevertheless from the relatively high voltage stand-v ard lighting circuit, but it will be under stood that this feature is used merely for convenience as any power source or current strength desired may here be used. Thus I have also shown interconnected with the low voltage leads lei and 19 from the transiornier T the lights 20, preferably of: a distinctively different color from the lights 13 and of which one is associated with each transmitter unit above described. The lights 20, being in parallel, are so interconnected with the push button switches 21, also connected in parallel, that the closing of any push button switch 21 will energize all the lights 20. I Thus it will be understood that when these push buttons are disposed at convenient points adjacent the reproducer B, the employee receiving an order therefrom may easily light the lights 20 and thereby signal the order-giver, who is presnmabl 1 standing near a transmitting unit and therefore near a light 20, as it will be understood that each transmitting unit com prises one microphone 7, one push button 8, one light 13 and one light 20, together with suitable wiring as hereinbefore described, and that although I have herein shown and described lights as signals, other suitable signaling means may be substituted therefor if desired.

In the alternative form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, parts which are the same in both forms are given in Fig. 2 the same reference characters as in Fig. 1 but with the addition of a prime In performing my invention in accordance with shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2, I have provided double pole push buttons 8 at he transmitting units, whereby I am able to dis- )ense with the relay R employed in my prel i rred form in Fig. 1, completing the cirtuit throughthe lights 13 by means of di 'ect contact. through the push butt-e As it is believed that this arrangement otthe wiring can be readily understood from the diagram in Fig. 2, having reference to Fig. 1 and the description thereof herembetore GIVGD, it is deemed unnecessary to describe my alternative term any more particularly.

' 'Fis- 4 i a v e of ue the form ampl fi uni (110t shown), t repr du B and the push buttons 21; tor-example, fl x ble Cables may ea f ,1 So ket -e d 'l' va le a d or e t ansmi W -is may h m unted dir stly o t e l and the lead wires disposed between the partitions of the Walls. f m f my tran mitting unit, showing for the of clearness but a small portion of the wires which in practice are cenneeted to, the various part lh a g- 25 en lo e h ent r tra m tting u andw en suitably supp rted n any nvenient Way, t may h mad ry t pest and of a deco at ve appearance which will add to rather-than tract from the favorable impression oi the dining room received by guests. The front of the casing is provided with three apertures 26, 27, 28, one above the other, the ter one 2? of which is somewhat larger than the th s 2 nd 2 hic are o Sub? tial y th a iz b ing on y large to permit observance therethrough he lights l3 and 20. inside the easing, one l' being disposed substantially in registry w in the wall to transmmtei units mount- I ach p re. In accordanc w h he .7

above description of the wiringotmy syst imt ese l gh s may be of fer nt co o to, permit of their being easily distingui d; hu h upperlight 13 may b green and be connected as lights 13 in F' l l 1 the lower light 2 may be Whi and be connected as the lights 20 1.. The center aperture in the casing providesfor the microphone 7, permitting the monthpiece 29 to extendoutside the casing while the diaphragm and easing of the microphone may be-snitably-secured within the casing. I havefound it advantageous that the mounting of the microphone \vithinthe casing be insulated against shock and vibration by some soft resilient material, such as sponge rubber, which prevents undesirable vibratiQIlS, as those of the building, from llO therethrough and thus improve the general appearance of the transmitting unit.

While I have herein described certain forms of my invention with considerable particularity, it will be understood that I do not thereby desire or intend to limit or confine myself specifically thereto as changes and modifications may be made in the form of the various elements and arrangement of the circuits, if desired, Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I

7 claim and desire to protect by Letters i atent of the United States:

1. In an annunciator system, the combination of an amplifier, a microphone circuit interconnected with said amplifier and ineluding a source of current, reproducing means also interconnected with said amplilier, a plurality of transmitting microphones connected in parallel across said circuit, a switch interconnected with each'microphone and adapted to normally interrupt the circuit theret-hrough, a normally open signal circuit including a source of current, a plurality of signals connected in parallel across said signal circuit, one of said signals being associated with each of the said microphones,

and means adapted to close the signal circuit when any one of said switches is closed,

2. In an annunciator system, the combination of an amplifier, a microphone circuit interconnected with said amplifier and in- -cluding a source of current, reproducing means also interconnected with said amplifier, a plurality ot transmitting microphones connected in parallel across said circuit, a

I switch interconnected with each microphone and adaptedto normally interrupt the circuit therethrough, a normally open signal circuit including a source of current, a plurality of signals connected in parallel across said signal circuit, one of said signals being associated with each of the said microphones, a relay adapted to close the signal circuit when any of said switches is closed to connect the microphone adjacent that switch to the amplifier, whereby all of said signals are energized simultaneously with the completion of the circuit through said microphone, a separate signal circuit connected with the source of current of the said signal circuit and having a pluraiity of signals associated with the individual microphones, and a plurality of switches for closing the said separate signal circuit located at different points within range of the reproducing means.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of May, 1929.

.KENNETH B. IVALTON. 

